Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers

Annual Earnings Percentiles

What Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers Do

Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers pick up, transport, and drop off packages and small shipments within a local region or urban area. They drive trucks with a gross vehicle weight (GVW)—the combined weight of the vehicle, passengers, and cargo—of 26,000 pounds or less. Most of the time, delivery truck drivers transport merchandise from a distribution center to businesses and households.

Work Environment

Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers have a physically demanding job. Driving a truck for long periods can be tiring. When loading and unloading cargo, drivers do a lot of lifting, carrying, and walking.

How to Become a Delivery Truck Driver or Driver/Sales Worker

Delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers typically enter their occupations with a high school diploma or equivalent. However, some opportunities exist for those without a high school diploma. Workers undergo 1 month or less of on-the-job training. They must have a driver’s license from the state in which they work and possess a clean driving record.

College Majors

Showing data from the American Community Survey for the following US Census occupation categories:

Job Outlook

Employment of delivery truck drivers and driver/sales workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2014 to 2024, slower than the average for all occupations. More delivery drivers should be needed to fulfill the growing number of e-commerce transactions.

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Job Trends for Delivery Truck Drivers and Driver/Sales Workers

This occupation supported 1,273,600 jobs in 2012 and 1,330,000 jobs in 2014, reflecting an increase of 4.4%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 5.4% in 2022 to 1,342,400 jobs. As of 2014, to keep pace with prediction, the expected number of jobs was 1,287,300, compared with an observed value of 1,330,000, 3.3% higher than expected. This indicates current employment trends are better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2014, this occupation was projected to increase by 3.8% in 2024 to 1,378,000 jobs. Linear extrapolation of the 2012 projection for 2022 results in an expected number of 1,356,100 jobs for 2024, 1.6% lower than the 2014 projection for 2024. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are about on track with the 2012 trend within this occupation.